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The Week #236
by James- π Happy New Year! 2025 is off to one heck of a start. I'll be fastening my seat belt and try to keep my attention on things that I can actually do something about. And for everything else I'll wait for all this to blow over (π§).
- π₯ On Leo's last day of winter break, I took him to see Sonic 3 in Minatomirai. On the way there I was walking and talking with Leo and we realized we haven't seen a movie, just the two of us, since the Mario movie came out a couple of years ago. The movie itself was quite enjoyable. Jim Carry is ace. After the movie was over, I learned that my co-worker's kid was in the same screening with their friends! Small world!
- βοΈ On the way back to the station Leo was hungry so we dropped by Starbucks for (it turns out) his dinner and a cup of coffee. After a rough couple of days with Leo, to have him re-centered and properly communicating was such a breath of fresh air. It reminded me that being a Dad is pretty great.
Rainy view from Starbucks - πͺ I closed all of my rings this week. Deciding to do some other form of exercise at home (yoga or kettle bell) on the days I don't run has been key as I'm done in 15 minutes and that's usually just enough to close the remaining rings if they aren't already closed.
- π§ In my headphones this week is New Jeans, a Korean pop band. I haven't listened to K-Pop (BoA, S.E.S. etc...) since the early 2000's when I almost exclusively listened to Japanese and Korean music. Waking up in the middle of the night I have their song ETA (Apple music, YouTube) running through my head. I should learn to read Hangul.
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Checkin to Yokohama Burg 13 (ζ¨ͺζ΅γγ«γ―13)
Sonic 3 for the last day of winter break. -
by JamesNew Jeans Run π§
Havenβt listened to k-pop since the early 2000βs. So good. Happy with my pace as it was mostly uphill on the way back.5.0km
34.6min
76m climbed
154.5avg bpm
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Checkin to γγγ
Β₯620 ($4 US, Β£3) for a lovely bowl of wantan salt ramen. π -
π Beer Bicycle
by JamesI need to visit Taiwan so I can visit Beer Bicycle. The vibes of this video are off the charts (also, a Brompton!). -
Looking back on 2024 and ahead to 2025
by JamesWelcome to my year in review post...a few days into the new year. See previous editions for 2023, 2022,Β 2021, and 2020.Side Projects
Spending more time in front of my computer was de-prioritized this year. Like last year, I did not start any new side projects.
Tanzawa
I didn't do much work on Tanzawa. That said, I still managed to make some small quality of life enhancements:- You can click the photos on the gallery on the top page to see a larger version.
- You can syndicate posts directly to Bluesky (via Brid.gy)
Sunbottle
The site that powers solar.jamesvandyne.com (and the Solar widget on the top page) did not see any commits in the past year. Which is problematic as I should update the fuel adjustment costs monthly-ish so my savings are calculated accurately.Health
I finally found a way to run consistently, squeezing out 101 runs totaling 458km. Running consistently has been a boon to my mental health. If I'm grump, going for a run usually solves it. It gives me time to think deeply about things away from screens. I ran my fastest ever 5ks, with the fastest being a few seconds under 30 minutes (I did that one while jet lagged, too!). Hitting the 30 minute 5k feels like a major milestone. I also discovered just how great running is for seeing a the sights of a city by running in Waikiki, London, and Paris. Technically Valencia is on that list, but I ran when it was dark, so I didn't see much while running.
I had two annual health checks this year. The first was in February, just before the end of the Japanese fiscal year and the second was in December. Despite the running, my weight and waist circumference stayed the same.. I hope that won't be the same when I write this report next year. Thanks to running though, everything else improved. :success-kid:Family
Leo started primary school. The first semester was really hard. Everyday was a struggle to get him out the door. He asked good question like "Why do I have to sit down and listen to adults talk all day? That's boring.". I think letting him spend his 3-years of pre-school at a school that let kids be kids and play was worth this struggle. He now mostly goes without issue.
We went on a trip to America so Leo could meet G-pa, my dad, for the first time. Communicating in English wasn't as smooth as I was hoping it was going to be, but they still got along. On the way there we stopped in Hawaii for a few days and Leo could meet some family that live there as well. Everybody is genki.Media
I read more books this year βmostly on my (new? I forget when I got it) kindle paperwhite. Trying to change my default from staring at my phone and scrolling for dopamine to staring at my kindle has been good for me learning new things and for living a more intentional life.Work
Kraken continues to be fun and exciting. The impact we're enabling is really motivating. I went from leading a regional team of 15 to a global team of just over 50. This firmly put me in the position of "person who writes documentsΒ in Notion" instead of "person who writes Python in PyCharm". I still manage to sneak in a cheeky PR when it's a 1 or 2 liner when I'm able. Leading large teams is a much different challenge, but I find myself really enjoying it.Looking Ahead to 2025
In classic James fashion, after writing my goals for the year last year I didn't look or think about them after posting. Still, I managed to achieve them. I will take the same approach this year. One difference is that I'm going to introduce a keyword to keep my centered. This year that keyword is "health".
Read More Books
Reading books on my kindle makes me feel better than endlessly staring at my cellphone when I'm bored or need a dopamine hit. There's an opportunity to learn from the greatest minds in history (often for free!) and I should do that more. It keeps my mind healthy and sharp.
Run 100 times
Same as last year. Setting this goal last year helped me run consistently. This year I'd like to run at least 100 times as well. I'll also introduce two stretch goals: 120 runs in a year and 550km distance.
Weights and Yoga
On the days when I don't run, I want to do some other exercise. I think those will be weight training (using my kettlebell) and yoga. Last year (or was it the year prior?) I bought some nice kettlebells. I want to use them consistently. Yoga should help me with general mobility and limberness. It might even help a bit with my next goal for 2025...
Balance
Work was my main focus last year. This year I expect the intensity of work will continue (π). While there isn't a specific measure for this goal, I'd like to be more intentional and balanced approach to work this year. I'm setting up habits already to enable this (e.g. putting my phone on the charger downstairs at night so I don't look at Slack when I first wake up... and then inevitably peak in regularly until work starts at 8:30 - 9am).
Using regular and consistent physical activity and reading books to create a better and more balanced self. This focus will be key to keeping me present and positive and able to do good for those near me when it could be so simple to wallow in despair given <gestures all around himself> everything.
Less Snacking
All of the points above are adding things. You can't have balance if you're always adding, so I'd like to remove something too. I have a (bad) habit of snacking between meals. Especially when I work from home. I'd like to, ideally, not do that at all. However, absolutes set you up for failure because there will be that day when you do it... so I'd like to snack less. My main strategy for this will be to wait until 7am when the rest of the eats rather than eating when I first wake up...as that puts 7 hours between breakfast and lunch, which is long enough that you're gonna want a snack. -
by JamesNew Yearβs Run
1 down, 99 to go! LFG!4.7km
30.2min
51m climbed
168.7avg bpm
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by JamesHappy New Year! π Also, start and finished my first book of the year. βFood Rulesβ by Michael Pollan. Β Lots of good rules of thumb to keep in mind when choosing what to eat.
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Checkin to Starbucks
εγΉγΏγ Aged Sumatra Cafe Misto. -
The Week #235
by James- π― Becoming a consistent runner has long been a goal of mine. Not because I particularly enjoyed running, but because it's a behavior of the person I wanted to become. And for the better part of 15 years, off and on (mostly off), I'd take a stab at it. Scroll down my runs and you'll see. Year after year, a couple of good weeks then nothing. This year, I finally made it happen.Β This year, I ran 100 times, or about twice a week for an entire year.Β
( Writing this I was going to write a sentence like "physical activity isn't second nature to me, because growing up I spent all my time in front of my computer". But it didn't feel true. I mean, it is true of my teenage self. But as an adult, "physical activity" isn't something I've avoided. e.g. When going somewhere I prefer to walk, cycle, or take a train...only if I must will I drive. I also went to the gym consistently when we lived in the US. That certainly counts as physical activity. Maybe I've been telling myself a false narrative all these years? π€― (This is why you should blog folks. Blow your own mind.)... back to your regular scheduled programming...)
My hope is that next year I can maintain the same level of consistency with regards to running and add some regular strength training to the mix. Each day is a vote towards the person we want to become. - π΄ I finished work for the year and will be off the first 2 weeks of January. This year has been the most challenging and most rewarding year of work for me. Going from leading a small-ish team in APAC to leading 50 - 60 people globally, including areas that I wasn't intimately familiar with at the start, has had a steep learning curve. High growth unicorn startups are stressful, but holy shit is it fun and I look forward to even more next year.
- πΆ Using my ample time off, I've been going on lots of long walks with Sophie. We both enjoy the exercise and she gets to sniff some places she doesn't normally sniff. Sophie really enjoyed walking through all these leaves in a nearby park.
Sophie walking through fallen leaves - π It would be remiss to forget mentioning Christmas! Leo scored (as per usual). He got Taiko-no-tatsujin for switch (a rhythm drumming game) and Santa brought a real ocarina with a tri-force (from Zelda) on it. For Christmas dinner I made lasagna and some oven roasted garlic potatoes. I think Christmas lasagna has become our family's tradition.
- π I've had another successful week of reading on my kindle instead of staring at my cellphone (as much) when I'm bored. I finished reading Ego is the Enemy and started/finished reading Radical Candor. Both really good books that give me a lot to think about while I'm running and walking. Defaulting to the kindle instead of social media has been really good for keeping endless scrolling in check.
- π― Becoming a consistent runner has long been a goal of mine. Not because I particularly enjoyed running, but because it's a behavior of the person I wanted to become. And for the better part of 15 years, off and on (mostly off), I'd take a stab at it. Scroll down my runs and you'll see. Year after year, a couple of good weeks then nothing. This year, I finally made it happen.Β This year, I ran 100 times, or about twice a week for an entire year.Β
